Laptop stays at 91% charging. Doesn't turn on or work unless plugged into charger.

BonillaP
BonillaP Member Posts: 1 New User

Hello,

I've had this laptop since 2018 but it first showed signs of wearing out in 2020. I took it to a PC repair shop where it did get fixed but now in 2023 it is starting to have issues again. For some reason it will not turn on unless the charger is plugged in and the charger will stay at 91% the whole time. I tried a Windows update, disabling and re enabling the battery drivers, and even straight up deleting them but none of that worked. I also tried to use a paper clip on the bottom of the laptop and tried to reset it that way but with no good luck. Are there any other tips I can use? or do I have to get my laptop checked out? It is very hard for the battery itself to be removed.

Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,150 Trailblazer
    edited February 2023

    These power/charging issues could be from many sources and due to many reasons on a 5 year old laptop, what I would do first is do a Hard Reset by taking the back cover off, and then taking the main battery out first, then disconnect the RTC/BIOS battery, and take all the ram modules out (if you have 2x ram modules) then when you replace all these components boot the laptop with only one module, leave all these components disconnected for 30min and reconnect them all and then boot your laptop, as this resets your Super IO chip and bios chip that could be frozen and/or need resetting.

    If the HR doesn't work then its either a battery fault that the battery needs replacing or an internal circuitry like a capacitor, filter or mosat that are shorted in the charging stage of the laptop that needs a technician to analyze and fix them like you have had before.

  • Athwart
    Athwart Member Posts: 87 Fixer WiFi Icon

    @BonillaP If you usually use the laptop on battery, there is a good chance the battery needs replacing after 3 years. Try running a battery report. Type Windows+X and select Command Prompt (Admin) then enter "powercfg /batteryreport" then open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\battery-report.html. Compare the Full charge capacity to the Design capacity. If it is significantly less, say under 20% of Design, you need a new battery. Alternately, use HwInfo64 to check the capacity & wear level.

    If the full charge capacity looks OK, the other possibility is that either windows or the battery is confused about the charge level. Assuming it will run on battery for a short while, try running on battery until it shuts down. Fully charge the battery until the battery LED shows fully charged then repeat the boot, run-down & re-charge cycle once or twice. That may sort out the problem.

    Before going to the hassle of the full reset proposed by @StevenGen you could try just a battery reset. I know you said you did that but did you follow the full procedure? Do a full shutdown; disconnect everything (including the charger); press and hold the reset button for 30 seconds; release the button and wait 5 minutes; re-attach the charger only. Wait until the battery LED shows fully charged and only then try turning it back on.